Columnist Fiona Millar explains how secondary schools in England have been flouting the admissions system by charging parents money to secure a place of their choice. Some parents have been asked to pay hundreds of pounds, a practice which is unacceptable according to schools secretary Ed Balls.

The philosopher AC Grayling says that 'Britishness' is not a concept he recognises. It would be far better to seek to become better people, he argues.

Economics editor Larry Elliott explains that Britain's finances are in a dire state and that today's Budget will be a tightly marshalled affair.

Eliot Spitzer, governor of the state of New York is being urged to resign following allegations that he used high class prostitutes. Spitzer's career is in ruins, says New York correspondent Ed Pilkington.

Brasilia was built in the 1950s in an attempt to take the strain off Brazil's coast. But as our correspondent Rory Carroll tells us, ongoing traffic problems and gang violence have blighted the city.